Uber is finally allowing riders to tip their drivers. The ability to tip for good service is something both Uber drivers and riders have been requesting for years, and it's finally happening. The change won't please everyone who uses Uber, but most people realize it's long overdue.

Since its inception Uber has been against the very idea of tipping. That was for taxi cabs, but not the gig economy. Uber had plenty of excuses reasons for not allowing riders to tip drivers. But now, with Uber founder Travis Kalanick on indefinite leave, Uber has changed its mind.

Uber Lets You Tip Your Driver

Uber has initially made tipping available in Seattle, Minneapolis, and Houston. This allows the company to iron out any bugs before rolling tipping out across the U.S. by the end of July. There's no word yet on if and when tipping will be rolled out to other countries, but it's surely inevitable.

Drivers in those three cities need to download the latest version of the Uber app and tap "receive tips". Then, when riders rate their driver at the end of a trip they will be asked whether they want to add a tip. They can add $1, $3, $5, or a custom amount of their choosing.

Tipping remains entirely optional. However, Uber is making other changes, including the cancellation window being reduced from five minutes to two minutes, drivers getting paid extra if they wait longer than two minutes, and drivers getting a cut of the increased fare for teenagers.

Uber Offers 180 Days of Change

Adding the option for riders to add a tip for good service appears to be the first in a long line of efforts to improve the lives of Uber drivers everywhere. To that end Uber has launched an initiative/PR exercise called 180 Days of Change, describing how "some changes will be big, some will be small," but all will be "the changes you’ve asked for". That remains to be seen.

Do you regularly use Uber? Have you ever wished the app let you tip your driver? Have you ever given an Uber driver a cash tip instead? Will you now use the tipping function? Or did you prefer it when tipping wasn't an option? Please let us know in the comments below!

Image Credit: Fauxto_digit via Flickr